Attorney Alan Block, who cut his professional teeth working for the Coastal Commission and now sues the City of Malibu on behalf of developers, viciously verbally attacks attorney Frank Angel, who has won many lawsuits in the public interest. Municipalities expect developers to spend big bucks on lawsuits to get what they want, and they use that excuse for granting variances to override carefully thought-out environmental protection policies. Malibu officials vilify attorneys like Frank Angel and organizations like the Sierra Club, when they require them to uphold their regulations. This attitude is not in the public interest. Anyone who thinks that doesn’t matter should take a look around and see what Frank Angel has done to make our part of the planet special. Thanks to Frank Angel’s successes, Malibu has Charmlee Nature Preserve, the National Park Service is about to purchase the King Gillette Ranch from Soka University and numerous other scraps of what’s left of nature in our area have been protected. Malibu residents who enjoy the natural bounty of Malibu – open space, hiking and riding – owe a great big thank you to Frank Angel and the Sierra Club for asking the courts to force municipalities and Los Angeles and Ventura Counties to do what they are expected to do on behalf of the public good.
Efrom Fader